Raising Chickens

[Dame]

I found this on a link to a site in another post (bread).  It looks to be a good source of information and support for those looking at or new to keeping chickens.  I order new chicks by the end of Feb to make sure I can source what I want.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Happy-Homesteader/Worthington-Needs-Urban-Chicken-Movement.aspx?blogid=1510

[oscar615]

We had them when we moved here a few years back.  They lasted about 1 month in the mountains before a bear got them.  Haven't tried since. But , I will be doing chickens again this spring.

Thanks for the link Dame.

[MountainMeg]

Hubby wants chickens, but we need to fence in our yard first.  (Need to anyways for the dog and kids)  I'm with him for egg layers.  At this point, I'd have trouble butchering and eating one I raised.  When TSHTF big time, I'll probably change my mind.   

[opsec]

If I were you, I would make that a security fence to repel intrusion.

[Dame]

Cock fighting is an illegal sport because of the level of violence.  Roosters are agressive and will fight at every oportunity.   One or two adult roosters is all anyone really wants.  They will also attack people, and other animals if there are too many of them around.  They quickly become my choice for dinner about the 2nd or 3rd time in a day I have taken a broom to them for fighting.   

[Karmick]

We always had chickens when I was a kid.  I agree about the rooster, one is all you will ever need, or want.  From a permaculture perspective chickens are essential, they are great at pest control and cleanup in general.  It's amazing how much they will eat, a good portion of the "trash" around your house is actually valuable chicken food, excepting plastics, tin, glass, etc.  My mom would even feed them their own eggs shells....  If you plan on doing free range chickens, however, you will need to have a wonderfully comfy place for them to come home to every night and kids to run around and look for egg nests.  Our coop/mansion had three sections, one for sleeping (it was just a bunch of elevated 1" dowels, they balance on a bar to sleep, go figure), one for laying (three raised boxes with hay and a few "fake" eggs to make them feel secure, had a trap door in the back for easy access when stealing their days work), and one for general congregation, chicken conferences and community meetings, watering, hiding, etc....  oh yeah, and banty hens are cute, but not worth the effort IMHO.

[opsec]

Tennis rackets are the perfect chicken control device.

[Wellspring]

I'm just building a coop now.
Anyone know if building nesting boxes on top of each other will work?
I would have roosting bars across the coop so they can hop up into the upper nesting boxes OR
I could even put little ramps from the roost post to each upper roosting box.
Just trying to work with the limited space I have and still have more hens.

Also, I hear they get territorial about the nesting boxes.  Do the nesting boxes have to have sides separating
one from the other or could I use 3" sides to keep the eggs from rolling out?

thanks.

oh, what do you all use to keep racoons from digging under the run?  I was thinking of just enclosing the entire run (floor as well) with the wire.  My sense is that they like to scratch around in the dirt and the wire would prevent them from doing this.  I'm also making the floor of the coop wire so their poop will fall through.

[Dame]

The most cost and space effective information I have seen on raising chickens for meat and eggs is in a download from this site:

http://www.pioneerliving.net/havemoreplan.htm

I forget the pg numbers for chickens,  it has a table of contents.

[Dame]

Chickens can fly and do unless you clip their wing feathers.  They are not good at it but can manage a 6' roost without assistance.  Access to clean under the roosts is a huge plus as this is where the bulk of the mess ends up.

[Atash Hagmahani]

Our chickens totally enclosed. However, loose in the yard with supervision (and only with supervision), they can be trusted to stay inside the fence.

They perceive the coop as their home, and willingly go back in without a fuss.

We only have one laying basket for 5 hens. Occasionally one of them will hog it and occassionally we find two hens trying to use it at once. Hens do fight just like roosters but their fights are usually not as long or deadly. Same issue with the roosters; they don't like strange hens. Once the pecking order is established they don't fight much (usually. They vary in aggressiveness).

Our hens are fairly tame, having been handled as chicks. They never attack us even when broody.

I like my coop. It has a little door right next to the egg-laying basket for easy access for harvesting eggs or for cleaning. The roost is up well off the ground. Their run space is under the roost and totally enclosed from all sides including the top.

The chickens even have a window to look out in their roost section.

One of these days it will even be decorated with a window-box with flowers in it.

[opsec]

Ever had any problems with foxes?

[Atash Hagmahani]

Here it wouldn't be foxes, it would be racoons. They are a serious problem, especially as they are big animals that can kill even roosters and at least in my neighborhood they are semi-social and work in packs (probably a learned behavior to deal with dogs). They are also fairly smart and can learn to work simple latches.

I had a pack of 5 of them invade my yard one day. I ran after them and swatted them with a bamboo pole (only thing handy). We lock up food.

[Wellspring]

Thanks for the info.

I'm still wanting to know what protection yall use to keep the coons from digging under the chicken run.
I've got heaps and heaps of bricks and am thinking of just putting bricks to thick and maybe two high to keep
them from digging under the run enclosure.  I've seen folks on the Net suggesting digging down a foot and putting hardware cloth down; is this overkill or appropriate measures?

TIA

[Atash Hagmahani]

Simply mount your coop over wire. However, the chickens don't like that. You could keep one area in the middle free, so they can scratch, or bury it below where they scratch.